The letter states that God is love and that love is shown in God sending his only Son into the world so that people might live through him. It also links love for one another to being born of God and knowing God. See 1 John 4:8–9.
In 1 John 4:7–10, the writer urges the community to love each other because love comes from God. Loving is presented as evidence of belonging to God and truly knowing him; refusing to love shows the opposite. This unit sits inside a larger stretch where the writer contrasts what is “from God” with what is not, often using everyday tests: confession about Jesus, ethical behavior, and community love. Just before this, the writer discusses weighing messages and recognizing what aligns with God (4:1–6).
This passage treats love as something that originates in God, not merely as a human virtue. The writer links love, God’s character (“God is love”), and visible history (“God has sent his only born Son”).
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with 1 John 4:8-9, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
8He who doesn`t love doesn`t know God, for God is love.
9By this was God`s love revealed in us, that God has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him.